Arnon Dror: Data-related Jobs See High Demand

Arnon Dror: The World Ruled by Data and Data Scientists

No one argues with numbers — this adage couldn’t be more apt in detailing why data scientists, data engineers, data analysts, or whatever you wish to call them, will continue to be two of the most in-demand jobs in the next decade. Finance executive Arnon Dror thinks this is an exciting time for professionals who hold degrees in mathematics, statistics, and finance, to name a few. As the world creates more and more data by the second, and storing them into increasingly smaller and smaller hardware, there will be a need for folks who can make sense of this data.

A Data-driven World

No less than the World Economic Forum did the forecasts for data-related jobs come from. According to the World Economic Forum, by 2020, data analysts will be in high demand, not just in the United States, but around the world. Arnon Dror adds that IBM sees the demand for data scientists, data developers, and data engineers reaching 700,000 by 2020.

So what does it take to be a data scientist, or to land a job in the field, you may be wondering. Arnon Dror shares that a high degree of comfort dealing with numbers is a must. After all, you will be poring over huge amounts of data, day in, day out, and your job is to analyze and manipulate the information according to the needs of the business. For example, if the company is getting ready to launch its latest product, customer data can be analyzed to gain insight on how to pull off a successful product launch.

Another example that shows how crucial and indispensable data-related jobs are, or will soon be, is marketing. Have you ever wondered how social media networks remain popular or how they sustain growth? Arnon Dror says the answer lies in the data. The marketing team of Airbnb, for instance, rely on data to help them improve their business, from the product to the price, to all the little details under marketing.

Becoming A Data Professional

Aside from the natural liking to math, Arnon Dror adds that communication skills are also equally important. As the data professional is tasked to make sense of the wealth of information they have gathered, all that insight will only go to waste if he or she is unable to communicate them properly. This also why data professionals are paid competitive salaries — they are expected to share what they have learned from the data so in theory, everyone in the business will benefit.

Arnon Dror also encourages professionals who are looking to shift careers to get started right away. The beauty of jobs in tech is that the industry welcomes professionals from different backgrounds, so there are multiple perspectives that are working together to make the technology more useful. Whether you’re college-educated or someone who didn’t have the means to but can be trained and has potential, this opportunity is waiting to be seized with both hands.